Amid Gently Falling Snow
by Xerxies19
Summary: During the battle with Valtome, Nephenee and Heather discover that feelings come out best on the field. Yuri fluff.


-1

Nephenee winced as the axe blade of one of the many Disciple warriors bit into her side. It was a shallow slice, not enough to slow her down as she swung her lance in a graceful arc, cutting cleanly through the large man's leather armor and scoring a decent blow to the body beneath. Another thrust and he was very nearly dead, but the blessings he received from Ashera allowed him the strength to heft his axe once more, poised to strike.

A glint of silver speared his throat and he finally crumpled, mortally wounded. The sentinel looked closer at what had dropped him, finding one of Heather's many silver knives. Sure enough the whisper appeared at her side soundlessly a moment later.

"Everything alright?"

"Yep, I'm fine," she said as her face grew hot the way it always did when she spoke with the gorgeous rogue, "Thanks to you."

She was answered with a brillant smile before the woman's sharp eyes caught movement a ways off through the tangle of undergrowth.

"Get ready, here they come."

The lancewoman eyed the advancing yellow-hued adversaries the thief had mentioned as Ranulf and Kyza came up behind the pair. They hadn't gathered up the energy to transform yet. With precious few laguz stones they were instead using Olivi grasses, but it would be a few minutes before they would be any help. It seemed the two would go the next meeting alone. The rest of the team had taken the southern route, trying not to put all their eggs in one basket and end up getting flanked.

Now that the enemies were closer, she recognized them as a trio of strong Halberdiers. The first advanced on the blonde, apparently thinking the unarmored woman a better target. She smirked and backflipped away from his lance thrust flippantly. She always loved taunting an enemy before killing them. As soon as her feet hit the ground she shot forward and landed her multi-hit specialty, which she learned once she became strong enough to be considered one of the elite rogues known as whispers. One more strike brought the devote down for good.

By this time Pelleas was running about trying to be helpful in any way he could. With some help from Reyson's galdr, he dropped another halberdier with long-range dark magic. The final lanceman decided to give attacking Nephenee a shot, after watching what Heather did to his brother in arms he wasn't about to make the same mistake. She blocked his attack with her shield, the heavy weapon glancing off uselessly and leaving its owner open to attack. Two thrusts of her steel lance and he was dead like the rest of them.

Two more enemies were coming at them and Nephenee began to wonder just how many people they were up against. Ranulf and Kyza transformed into their formidable beast forms and tore these two enemies to pieces easily, splattering blood on their blue and purple coats. The two women came up next to them, waiting for the next wave, which appeared to be two generals. The heavily armored men avoided the two cats entirely and went after the less intimidating women.

As the two dispatched the piles of blessed armor and flesh quickly, Ranulf's sharp bi-colored eyes saw two dragonmasters approaching, mounts trained on Nephenee. He warned them and Heather began to grow worried, their axes put the country girl's lance at a big disadvantage, increasing the chance the powerful silver weapons could land a devastating hit.

"Nephenee dear, why don't you get behind me and the cats so those nasty wyvern riders can't have a shot at you?" She offered in the sweet voice she used when either conning men into doing her work because they thought she was pretty and interested, or when speaking with the lovely ladies of the camp, especially the teal-haired girl in front of her.

"I reck-I figure I can take 'em just fine, thanks," she shook her head, editing her words to try and cover up her country accent, "Besides, I'd rather die than put you in harm's way Heather."

The rogue got a warm feeling from the other's willingness to protect her, but it was almost immediately quashed by the fear that the sentinel might indeed die for her care. She didn't have long to dwell on it as the wyverns descended upon them quickly.

The first managed to hit the lancer, slicing a deep gash into her back right through the armor and into the comparably soft flesh under it. While she attempted to fend him off, the other swooped down and his silver poleaxe tore into her left leg, bringing her down onto one knee helplessly. Instantly the whisper was there, her blonde locks swishing from her blindingly fast movement. She was so close to her fallen comrade that her rich purple cloak brushed against the other's helmet.

"Hold on Nephenee, we'll take care of them."

Her voice was steely, harder than the badly bleeding girl had ever heard it. She was rapidly becoming more and more lightheaded, her hands shaking too much to apply salve to her wounds. She watched numbly as Ranulf, Kyza, and Heather killed the dragon riders, a blur of light purple, violet, and blue. She sat down, shaking visibly as she began to go into shock. Next thing she knew her whisper friend was so close she was almost on top of her, shaking her shoulders almost violently.

"Nephenee, just hold on, okay? Elincia will be able to heal you in a moment, you just need to hold on. Nephenee? Speak to me damnit!"

The woman had lost all composure, completely hysterical as she tried to revive her dying friend. Tears ran unchecked down her paling cheeks and her voice was getting hoarse from yelling and crying.

"Nephenee, please don't die. You promised you wouldn't die on me, remember? I don't want to have to live a life without you, I love you," the last words were a choked whisper. the azure-eyed woman holding the other to her.

"I love you too," she said in-between labored gasps for air.

Her shaky arms wound around the roguish woman's waist, the teal-haired country girl resting her head on her chest. Gripping terror turned to relief for the blonde as a bright blue-green ball of healing magic came from the sky and enveloped her beloved sentinel. The wounds sealed almost instantaneously and the color came back into her features. Elincia had apparently gotten close enough to use her physic staff on her. The fully-healed if shaken girl cupped the smiling thief's cheek lovingly.

"Looks like everything will be-"

Her last word was cut off as Heather whipped her helmet off with reckless abandon and kissed her searingly. Ranulf noticed the sudden silence and glanced back from the enemy corpes at his feet, he and Kyza having charged on ahead, and smiled at what he saw. The battle had ended, Pelleas delivering the final blow to Valtome just minutes after Elincia healed the sentinel. The rest of the party left the pair alone though, and when they did break apart, they fell into a fit of giggles once they noticed the snow that had been falling had gathered on their heads and shoulders. As they walked back to camp hand in hand, they knew that somehow everything would indeed be alright.


End file.
